Why Windows Embedded

Faster Time to Market – Windows Embedded products enable faster time to market with comprehensive feature sets and familiar, easy-to-use developer tools that help you reduce project duration.

Lower Cost of Development – Windows Embedded minimizes your investment by allowing you to evaluate and test most Windows Embedded products at no cost using the 120-day (180-day for Windows Embedded CE) evaluation kit before making your purchasing decision.

Pay-As-You-Go Licensing – Never pay for licenses until you ship. Windows Embedded lets you defer your up-front investment and allows you to pay when your devices ship, using per-unit licenses with tiered volume discounts. This helps you predict your investment and reduces break-even volume.

Shared Source Program – The Windows Embedded Shared Source program allows you, the developer, to access, debug, modify, improve, and share the Windows Embedded CE Shared Source code. Additionally, OEM customers worldwide can create and redistribute commercial derivatives of the Windows Embedded CE Shared Source code for shipping in commercial devices without notifying Microsoft or sharing their derivative works with the embedded community. The source code is made available to facilitate the development and support of Windows Embedded hardware, software, and devices.

Preservation of Intellectual Property – Microsoft Windows Embedded licensing helps you preserve your intellectual property. Some operating systems platforms require you to make your intellectual property public and subject you to liability from using code you presumed was in the public domain.

Microsoft’s Commitment to Windows Embedded – Microsoft officially entered the embedded marketplace in November 1996 with the release of Windows CE 1.0. The Windows Embedded team has since expanded the embedded portfolio to a family of multiple products with a long-term innovative roadmap for continued growth. The Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy guarantees that Microsoft provides five years of mainstream support and five years of extended support for Windows Embedded products after release, for a total of 10 years of support.

Industry-Leading Partner Network – Through a worldwide network of industry-leading partners, you gain access to a vibrant ecosystem of valuable resources and services that help speed your device to market. Windows Embedded Partners include distributors, system integrators, independent hardware and software vendors, ODMs, OEMs, silicon vendors, tools vendors, and professional training organizations. Working with a Windows Embedded Partner early on furthers your development savings.

Community & Support – Windows Embedded provides access to an active network of Microsoft developers, Windows Embedded customers, and more than 500 Windows Embedded Partners and 60 Windows Embedded MVPs. Members of this network collaborate with each other every step of the embedded device development process. Along with Microsoft’s commitment to a 10-year product lifecycle, read more about the support policy, additional support resources include third-party products and services worldwide; training, tutorials, and how-to content; online community forums such as newsgroups, forums, webcasts, and blogs.

Increased Revenue Opportunity – Windows Embedded makes your previous projects reusable and helps you to easily update or extend product lines by using existing code. You can release a wider variety of compelling embedded products in less time than the competition and solidify your standing as an embedded marketplace leader.